Sisi: Arab-European summit good opportunity to develop relations

Saturday، 16 February 2019 - 04:20 PM

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on Saturday 16/02/2019 said that the Arab-European summit, set to be held on February 24-25 in Sharm el Sheikh is a key step to develop relations between the two sides.

Describing the Arab-European neighborhood as historical, President Sisi asserted that the Arab world is Europe's first partner not only at the economic level but also in various domains.

Following his speech at the Munich Security Conference, the president said that stability and security in the Arab region have their impacts on Europe and vice versa, citing the migration flow to Europe by citizens fleeing regional conflicts as an example.

Therefore dialogue and coordination are needed between both sides with an aim to finding a common ground to address various files, Sisi said.

For his part, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, the current head of the European Union thanked Sisi for organizing the Arab-European summit at this time.

The Romanian president said that deeper cooperation is needed between the two sides, adding that it is time for holding a summit that brings together the European and Arab leaders.

Iohannis expressed optimism that all regional problems, including migration and economic and security cooperation could be tackled via joint action and dialogue.

He highlighted the special importance of the coming Arab-European summit in light of Romania's historical and excellent ties with the Arab world, asserting that such relations represent key pillar in his country's foreign policy.